Extinction looms for Hamilton's 'Lake Timmicaca' puddle but resident says it will stay 'forever in our hearts'

No longer do the waves of Lake Timmicaca lap against car bumpers.

The iconic puddle that was once an almost permanent attraction — or obstruction — at a downtown Tim Hortons parking lot hasn't appeared for months, as observed by CBC Hamilton.

And 2026 will be the year it disappears forever, says the city.

The city has issued a work permit to the property owner — a corporation linked to Tim Hortons — to repair the storm sewer system under the parking lot to ensure it drains properly.

The owner has completed an engineer's review and hired contractors, said Dan Smith, acting director of licensing and bylaw, in an email.

"Official work is expected to take place in early spring 2026 due to weather constraints," Smith said.

He also noted there haven't been any recent complaints about the puddle.

"However city licensing staff will continue to monitor the property until the standing water issues have been resolved," he said.

Lake Timmicaca will live on in resident's heart

Tim Hortons did not respond to requests for comment about the water accumulation, locally known as Lake Timmicaca, what needs to be repaired, and what's been done already to ease the flooding.

As previously reported, Lake Timmicaca has drawn attention over the past decade for both its persistence and size — about a foot of water covering most of the John Street S. parking lot at any given time.

It had been most notable with every spring thaw and summer rain, residents told CBC Hamilton last March, inspiring art, photographs and Reddit threads.

Around the time that story ran, in March, a truck appeared to be draining the storm sewer beneath the puddle.

Hamilton resident and Lake Timmicaca enthusiast Max Rose Begg Goodis said she's not surprised the puddle's time has come to an end as downtown gentrifies.

"In the face of LRT [planning] and other ongoing developments, visual landmarks disappearing seem to be a new normal for Hamilton," Goodis said.

But no matter what happens, Lake Timmicaca will remain "forever in our hearts."

And referring to the Semisonic lyrics from the 1998 hit Closing Time — as featured on the Big Shiny Tunes 3 album — Goodis quoted, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."